Rapid Food Rescue
Rescuing Food - Reaching Neighbors - Strengthening Community
Rapid Food Rescue is an Innovate Ione program working to keep good food from going to waste and get it into the hands of people throughout our community who can use it. We rescue and receive food from local businesses, farms, organizations, and individuals, then sort, pack, distribute, and deliver it where it is needed.
WHAT WE DO
Rapid Food Rescue works a little differently than a traditional food pantry. We are mobile, flexible, and built around rescuing food when and where it becomes available, then getting it back into the community as quickly as possible.
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Rescue surplus and donated food from local businesses and community partners
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Pick up fresh produce and other food from local farms, growers, and individuals
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Sort, pack, and prepare food for distribution
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Deliver food to seniors, homebound individuals, working families, and others who may have difficulty accessing traditional food resources
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Provide community food distributions as resources become available
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Respond to emergency food needs when we have food available
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Recover qualifying salvaged wildlife for processing and community distribution
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Distribute hygiene, household, and other essential items when they are donated
Because RFR is a rescue-based program, what we have available can change from week to week depending on what our community partners and donors are able to provide.
WORKING TOGETHER WITH WDFW OFFICERS
Turning an Unfortunate Loss Into Food for Local Families
Rapid Food Rescue is proud to work in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), giving WDFW officers a local community resource to call when qualifying fish or wildlife is available for donation.
WDFW officers are an important part of making this partnership work. Their work in the field can create opportunities to turn fish and wildlife that might otherwise go unused into food for local families. When an eligible donation becomes available, officers coordinate with Rapid Food Rescue so our volunteers can respond, recover or receive the donation, arrange transportation and processing when needed, and ultimately distribute the food back into our community at no charge.
Community Partners
Rapid Food Rescue is powered by partnerships throughout our community. Food rescue only works when local businesses, organizations, farms, and individuals are willing to work together to make sure usable food reaches people instead of going to waste.
Current partners and supporters include:
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Riverview Bible Camp
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Panther Pit
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The Falls Market
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Usk General Store
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Circle K
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Local farms and growers
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Individual community donors and supporters
We are always looking to build new partnerships with local businesses, farms, growers, organizations, and individuals interested in helping reduce food waste and strengthen food access in our community.
Need Food?
Rapid Food Rescue is here to help when food is available. Our program is designed to reach people who may not always be able to use a traditional food pantry, including seniors, homebound individuals, working families, and others experiencing a food need.
To receive food through RFR, start by completing our client registration. Once registered, you can submit a food request when distributions are available.
For urgent situations that cannot wait for a regular distribution, an Emergency Food Request is also available.
Food availability varies based on what we are able to rescue and receive from our community partners and donors.
VOLUNTEER WITH
RAPID FOOD RESCUE
Rapid Food Rescue depends on volunteers who are willing to help when and where they can. You can volunteer once, occasionally, regularly, or be someone we contact when an extra set of hands is needed.
Volunteer opportunities may include:
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Sorting and packing food
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Distribution preparation
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Distribution-day help
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Deliveries to clients
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Donation and community-partner pickups
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Freezer, storage, and inventory organization
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Cleaning and sanitation
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Client communication and data entry
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Emergency or last-minute food response
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On-call salvaged wildlife assistance
Interested in Wildlife Salvage?
Wildlife salvage is a specialized on-call volunteer role and can involve recovering deceased wildlife, field dressing, blood and organs, heavy lifting, loading and transporting large animals, and delivering salvaged wildlife for processing.
It is not for weak stomachs, and that’s okay — wildlife salvage is only one of many ways to help RFR.
